Mama Michael
by Hyper Kid
Summary: A little slice of domestic bliss up in Heaven. Adorable baby Castiel, Mike and Lucifer playing Mommy and Daddy, with crazy Uncle Gabe and grumpy Uncle Raph! pre-Fall, eventual Mikifer, fluff
1. A Tough Situation

HK: This right here? Longest first chapter ever. As usual I was talking to Sanity's-Overrated on Twitter, and somehow we came up with a mutual prompt for Michael and Lucifer playing Mother and Father for little Castiel. :P Sanity's-Overrated took an mPreg spin, and I went for more of the babysitting prompt. Not sure why, I just don't like writing AU. Well, this is AU too, but shut up. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any derivatives thereof! Except my cracky little alternate universes. :P But I make no money from them.

WARNINGS! Eventual Mikifer, Gabriel (he always needs his own), the painful cuteness that is baby Castiel

XXXX

Michael and Lucifer looked down at the tiny figure sleeping between them. Their father had just finished creating the fledgling, before declaring that he was tired. He had told Michael and Lucifer to look after their newest brother while he went to rest in the Garden.

He had taken care of every other angel he created personally, raising them all until they were old enough to take care of themselves. It didn't take long with angels, but the first few months were vital.

Michael had never had to deal with a fledgling before. He glanced at Lucifer, who shrugged, equally nonplussed. Of course, they had seen Dad taking care of the babies before. It was hard not to when the family was that big. But they weren't completely sure what to do… until suddenly they were.

Lucifer flinched and Michael blinked hard a few times as the knowledge downloaded itself into their brains. Michael straightened, figuring that since he was the oldest, he should take command. He sucked in a deep breath.

"So I guess we should get him inside?" Lucifer asked, cutting in and leaning down to pick up the tiny fledgling. The child looked so small in his arms, and Michael deflated. He may be the oldest, but Lucifer knew just as much as he did about taking care of a child. It was a relief really, to have Lucifer taking charge.

Somehow his little brother had a much softer touch with the younger angels. He was nicer, while Michael tried to maintain order and discipline among the kids. It was a bad habit, one that Lucifer and Gabriel were constantly trying to break him of.

As Lucifer passed him Michael gestured for Lucifer to stop, running a finger through the fledgling's short black hair and tugging a few strands off his face.

"What did Dad say his name was?" His voice was soft and almost reverent, but Lucifer didn't comment. Unlike the other angels, he was used to seeing Michael's soft side.

"Castiel." Lucifer's voice was equally gentle, and the two angels spent a moment just basking in the beauty of their father's latest creation. All angels were beautiful, but somehow this one was special.

Maybe because he was the youngest, the last angel their father created. Maybe because all of a sudden he was theirs. At the sound of his name, Castiel's eyes opened to reveal they were the bluest blue either archangel had ever seen.

Michael melted at once, cooing at the baby and freeing one hand to stroke a finger against the impossibly soft skin of his cheek. Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him and Michael blushed at once, snatching his hands back like it was on fire.

"What?" He demanded, glaring at his brother. Lucifer laughed and readjusted Castiel to lie more comfortably against his chest.

"Nothing Mikey. You're a beautiful mother." And with that he spread his wings, flapping away as fast as he could while Michael swore at him from the ground.

XX

The house Lucifer had created was small and homely, with only two bedrooms. It had a cheery tile roof and whitewashed walls, but no garden or fence.

There was no real need for boundaries in Heaven, and the only reason the house itself existed was because Lucifer wanted to keep Castiel from being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of his siblings before he was old enough to be introduced.

So he had made a small cottage for himself and Michael to share, complete with ivy climbing around the door.

There was a simple bathroom on the second floor, which neither of the older angels would actually need but baby Cas wouldn't be able to keep himself clean until he was three months old.

Downstairs there was a sitting room with a cosy fireplace and picturesque little windows. A sofa, love seat and arm chair, all in matching red velvet were spread around the room to face the fireplace but be far enough apart for personal bubbles.

There was a fancy dining room, with a nice oak table and a set of matching chairs. The walls were a deep rich blue, as opposed to the more cheerful yellow in the sitting room and the pale blue of the bathroom and bedrooms.

The kitchen walls were covered in a floral pattern, with a smaller table in there for casual meals. Lucifer didn't actually know anything about designing houses, but he had stolen the design from the future of Earth.

Castiel had fallen asleep again cradled against Lucifer's chest, as after Lucifer put him down in the small cot in the second bedroom he and Michael had explored the house. Well, Michael had smacked him upside the head first…

Now the two archangels were back in Castiel's room, standing over the crib watching the fledgling sleep.

"I have no idea how to take care of him," Michael confessed in a hushed voice. Lucifer glanced over, surprised, but his big brother hadn't taken his eyes off the baby.

"Sure you do. Dad downloaded the knowledge into our heads," Lucifer pointed out, whispering in spite of himself. Somehow the room felt hallowed… holy. Which was ridiculous really, this was Heaven. Everything here was holy. The sleeping angel somehow seemed to personify that though.

Michael shook his head, his wings fluttering behind him. Lucifer just didn't get it…

"I know that Luce. But that's just the mechanics, right? The basic stuff. I don't know how to love him, or care for him or anything! He needs more than just food and stuff, right?" If he sounded a little frantic, a little desperate, well, that made him no different than any other new father left alone with his baby for the first time. Lucifer's brow furrowed as he pondered the problem.

"I don't think it'll be that hard," he eventually decided. "If Dad can do it so can we." Michael finally tore his gaze away from the baby to stare at his brother.

"That's blasphemy, Lucifer." Some of his disgust seeped into his voice and Lucifer rolled his eyes. He didn't particularly want to fight today. Not with such a sweet little creature trying to sleep.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever Mike."

"This is serious, Lucifer! I will not have you talking like that!"

"Maybe you should stop me, mother!"

"Maybe I will!" The two angels squared off, wings flaring as they glared each other down. The only thing that stopped the argument from going to blows like it had a hundred times before was a small noise from the crib.

Castiel was stirring, his tiny face scrunching up as his fists bunched and smacked down on the blankets. A plaintive noise left his throat and in a second Michael was beside him, lifting the baby from the crib and rocking him gently. "Hush, sweetheart… hush baby it's okay…"

Lucifer deflated, his wings folding back against his spine. A small smile stole across his face as he looked at his brother cradling the infant.

"I don't know what you're worried about Mike, you're a natural," he said quietly. Michael glanced up at him, apparently only just remembering their argument.

"Really?" It was half question, half challenge, and in his arms Castiel squirmed again. A full smile crossed Lucifer's face as Michael's attention immediately returned to the baby.

"I don't think he likes it when we fight," the arch angel pointed out, slowly approaching his brother. Michael looked up at once, his wings flaring and relaxing when he realised Lucifer wasn't threatening him. It was a shaky truce at best, thanks entirely to little Castiel.

Lucifer crossed to Michael's side, waving a finger in front of Castiel's face as he tucked in against his brother. "Have you got Mikey wrapped around your little finger? Yes you have! Yes you have!" The baby talk was new, and completely to annoy Michael.

The older arch angel did indeed give his brother a glare, but it was half hearted at best.

"Shut up, Lucifer." Just then Castiel's huge blue eyes opened again and both arch angels dissolved into girly noises and baby talk.

XX

Michael was giving Castiel his first bath when Gabriel finally showed up, busting Lucifer's brand new door open by hip checking it.

"Hey bros," he called loudly into the house, glancing around and examining the pictures on the walls. These were a late addition, most of which featured scenes from Heaven but a fair few were shots of Michael, Lucifer, Michael and Lucifer, or one or both of them with Castiel.

No one seemed to be around, so Gabriel moseyed on over to the kitchen, which just so happened to be at the end of the hall beside the stairs. He stuck his head around the door, saw no one but a fridge, and figured that he might as well check on his brothers supplies while he raided their new bungalow.

Gabriel had long suspected that his brothers were having a little extracurricular fun, and building themselves a love shack in an unfrequented corner of Heaven? Only further cemented his belief. Raphael would finally have to pay up on that bet…

A splashing sound from upstairs distracted the ADD angel, and he abandoned his quest to the fridge for now. Sneaking back out of the kitchen (rather pointlessly since he had screamed to announce his arrival), Gabriel spread his wings and glided gently up the stairs.

The house had obviously been constructed by angels, as each hall, doorway and stairway were wide enough to pass through with all six pairs of wings spread. Under his breath Gabriel began to hum the Mission Impossible theme as he snuck along the hall.

The splashing sounds were getting louder, and he wondered what his brothers were doing. Sure, they could fit an entire beach inside any of these rooms, but that had always been more Gabriel's thing. He found the door the splashes were coming from just as another door opened down the hall and Lucifer stuck his head out.

"Gabriel!" His brother looked very surprised, hurrying into the hall and heading over at speed. Gabriel, now more confused than ever, gave him a cheery grin and tugged the door open.

What he saw inside made his jaw drop. It was not often that the angel of communication found himself speechless, but now was one of those times.

He stared inside for a while, then turned back and stared at Lucifer. The older angel had frozen, staring back with wide eyes. It was almost comical, even Lucifer's wings were spread wide. Finally Gabriel found his voice, pointing back into the room.

"You got Michael PREGNANT?"

XX

It had taken a considerable amount of coffee to calm Gabriel down, and Michael still hadn't stopped blushing. Baby Cas was dry now, and wrapped in a sky blue sleep suit, a pair of tiny jeans and a striped shirt.

Currently Michael was holding him in the arm chair, while Lucifer sat Gabriel down on the sofa and explained the situation to him. It didn't take long for Gabriel to recover his wide smile.

"So you guys are shacked up now, huh? Mommy and Daddy and baby makes three? So who's Mom?"

"Mike," Lucifer answered on instinct, snickering at the uncomfortable look on Michael's face. Then he realised what he was saying, and smacked Gabriel upside the head. "Stop grinning, you idiot, it's nothing like that! Dad just wanted to go to the Garden to rest, so he gave us Castiel to take care of. If you'd been there you would have had to do it!"

Gabriel hummed to himself and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head.

"I dunno Luce… seems to me like Dad might be dropping you two hints." He tipped Michael a wink, and his oldest brother glared back, his face practically glowing red.

"It's not like that Gabriel! We just have to take care of him until he can take care of himself!"

"Do you want to help," Lucifer cut in, pretty sure he knew what Gabriel's answer would be. He was expecting a no. Gabriel knew that, and decided to surprise him.

"Sure. I haven't got the legs for the dresses like Mikey does so I can't be Mommy, but I can be Uncle Gabe just fine. What's my new baby bro's name, by the way?" he asked, tilting his head at Michael. The eldest arch angel had gone suddenly pale at the thought of what would happen if Gabriel had a hand in raising the fledgling.

On the plus side, at least he was no longer blushing.

Castiel squirmed in his arms, apparently equally unimpressed by the idea.

The baby turned, fixing Gabriel with a blue eyed stare. Gabriel melted at once, exactly like Michael and Lucifer had every time.

"Oh he's just darling… can I hold him?" He fixed his own puppy eyes on Michael, and Castiel turned to look up at the oldest angel too. Caught between blue and honey gold, Michael groaned.

"Fine! Come over here," he said, shuffling Castiel more carefully in his arms. Gabriel rocketed to his feet at once, eyes wide and eager. He paused, turning to glare at Lucifer, who was snickering at him.

"Shut up Lucifer." Gabe scowled, trying to look a little less enamoured, but Lucifer merely gave him an angelic smile.

"I didn't say a word," he hummed happily. It seemed he was the only one who didn't fall apart completely whenever Castiel blinked. Then Castiel turned those baby blues on him and he crumbled.

Gabriel sat carefully on the arm of the chair and Michael slowly slid baby Cas into his arms. Gabe immediately hugged him close, playing with the hem of Castiel's shirt. The little angel fluttered his wings and Michael and Gabriel fell into the baby talk at once.

Lucifer chuckled, leaning back against the sofa. He hadn't actually thought there was a reason why their father had chosen him and Michael to take care of the baby. And that Gabriel thought he had gotten Michael pregnant… that was strange.

Admittedly he was closer to Michael than any of his other brothers, but that they could be… together… No. Lucifer dismissed the thought at once. It had to be just another of Gabriel's jokes. One of the less funny ones.

He pulled himself back to reality to watch Gabe and Michael coo over the baby. Cas was beginning to squirm again, his little face squinching up and he began to sniffle. At once Michael snatched him back, rocking the baby gently.

"Ssh, it's okay baby… it's okay…" He hummed gently, trying to calm Castiel down. It didn't seem to be working. Gabriel pouted, folding his arms.

"Hey… I didn't do anything!" The arch angel muttered sulkily, trying not to show how upset he was. Little Cas was still crying though, and Michael shook his head, getting to his feet.

"I think he's hungry, Gabe, it's not your fault," he consoled his little brother, passing the baby back to Gabe with a slightly strained smile. "Could you hold him again for a second while I go make him some… Lucifer, what do you feed a baby?"

Gabriel glanced up from where he had been stroking Castiel's cheeks to try and calm him down.

"Seriously? Do you guys have any idea what you're doing?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Lucifer rolled his eyes, getting up and following Michael into the kitchen.

"We need a blender… I think I saw one in the cupboard." The Morningstar began to open cupboards at random. Gabe followed him into the room, still rocking the whimpering baby.

"Man, he's really quiet. You'd think he'd be screaming by now," the short angel commented, wiggling a finger at the baby. Lucifer grinned at him from where he was leaning backwards out of a cupboard.

"Just because you screamed every twenty seconds when you were a fledgling doesn't mean everyone will," he teased. He leaned back into the cupboard, let out a triumphant shout, and pulled out the blender. He plunked it down on the counter and turned to Michael. "So… what should we feed him?"

Michael groaned.

"Really? I thought you knew!" He sighed, leaning back against the counter. Lucifer gave him an affronted look.

"I do know! I'm just trying to decide what to make him!"

As his brothers began to argue, Gabriel thoughtfully poofed a lollipop into existence, giving it a lick. Lucifer and Michael didn't seem to be getting a resolution any time soon. Gabe glanced around the kitchen, then down at baby Castiel, who was still whimpering.

"Want a lick?" The baby didn't reply verbally, so Gabriel pointed the lolly at him. Castiel licked it by accident and suddenly grabbed it. Gabriel pouted down at the baby, tugging on the stick. "Hey, that's mine! Chocolate suckers aren't easy to come by kid." He paused then shrugged, snapping his fingers to poof another one into existence. "Okay, I lied. Keep that one."

On the other side of the kitchen, Michael and Lucifer seemed to have stopped arguing. The sudden quiet was interrupted by a low, ominous rumbling.

Instinctively Gabriel spread his wings and wrapped them into a defensive shield around himself and the baby. A second later something splattered against his wings. That pretty much justified his reaction really, but most of the time it was.

Gabriel shuddered, trying to shake the gunk off his wings. It smelled like… bananas.

When he finally decided it was safe to part his wings, Lucifer and Michael were staring at him with matching "oh shit" looks. Gabriel's expression was murderous, and he stood slowly and deliberately.  
"What just happened?"

Lucifer gave him a sheepish smile.

"I… may have forgotten to put a lid on the blender?" He let out a nervous giggle. Abruptly Michael spotted the sucker in Castiel's mouth and dived across the room.

"What in Dad's name are you thinking, Gabriel? You can't give a fledgling a sucker!" He took Castiel from Gabriel gently before smacking his brother and yanking the lollipop from the baby's mouth.

Immediately Castiel began to whine again, and this time Gabriel joined him.

"Hey… there's no need for that Mikey! I was just trying to help since you and Lucy over there couldn't get your thumbs out of your butts!" Gabriel's whine was decidedly less adorable, and Michael gave him a scalding glare and stuck the lolly in his hair.

"Next time don't try!" He snapped, storming over and handing Castiel to Lucifer. "You hold him, I'll make the food!" Lucifer pouted, taking Castiel and going over to stand next to Gabriel.

"Say it like I'm hopeless. At least I knew what to make!" He glanced over at his little brother, giving him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about your wings, bro." Gabriel was still sulking. Frowning at his brother and the baby in his arms, he gave his wings another shake.

"You owe me. If a single speck got on your baby there I doubt Momma Mikey would have let either of us live." A reluctant smile tugged its way across his lips, and he elbowed Lucifer. "So you were just mushing bananas, right?"

"Yeah," Lucifer replied with a frown, following his gaze to where Michael was at the fridge, pulling out milk, juice and a carton of strawberries. "Huh. Feeling fancy, Mike?" He called over in a teasing voice. Michael gave him a fiery glare, cutting fruits and pouring milk into the blender.

"I think someone should take care of Castiel, and since clearly neither of you are responsible enough to feed him I may as well do it properly!" He secured the lid with slightly more than necessary force, shooting Lucifer a pointed look as he turned it on.

The blender whirred again, but this time at least there was no ominous rumbling. Gabriel flinched anyway, and a tear fell from one of Castiel's sky blue eyes as he began to whimper. Gabe turned his attention to the baby at once, wiping away the tear as Lucifer stuck his tongue out at Michael.

"Hey guys… I don't think he likes it when you fight!" He pointed out, urgency in his tone. Lucifer and Michael ignored him, and Castiel began to cry in earnest. There were no ear piercing shrieks, however, no screaming or wailing.

Heaven had seen plenty of that when Gabriel was a fledgling, but Castiel's tears were very nearly silent, punctuated only by small whimpers.

Shooting his brother a glare, Gabe lifted Cas from his brother's unprotesting arms, hugging the baby tight against him. "It's okay, Cassie… Mommy and Daddy still love each other, even if they do have dicks up their butts." He gave his brothers angry glares, but they were still ignoring him.

Since he wasn't holding a fledgling any more, Lucifer had crossed the kitchen until he and Michael were nose to nose. Now they were yelling at each other, and apparently only Gabriel could see the repressed sexual tension responsible for the fighting.

If only his brothers got over themselves and did the horizontal tango they would probably feel a lot better.

He glanced down at Castiel again, shaking his head. The poor baby was red in the face, tears streaming down his cheeks as he whimpered.

Suddenly Gabriel had enough.

Shuffling the baby around until his head was resting against Gabriel's shoulder and he could support him one handed, the arch angel moved away from the counter and covered the baby's ears. He flared his wings out as far as he could, covering almost the entire back wall of the kitchen.

With a snap of his fingers he summoned his trumpet, holding it against his lips with magic as he went back to blocking Castiel's ear. A deep breath later, he blew out a note that made the entire kitchen vibrate with noise.

Michael and Lucifer paused turning to stare wide eyed at their red faced baby brother. Gabriel was almost vibrating with anger as he tossed the trumpet across the room with a surge of power. "Look at you two! Screaming at each other like a pair of brats when you're supposed to be taking care of a baby! He's over here crying his eyes out and you can't tear your eyes off each other! Fuck and get over it already before you kill him!"

Gabe was breathing heavily now, glowering at his startled older brothers. In his arms Castiel had stopped squirming and was clutching Gabriel's shirt like it was the only real thing in the world. The fledgling might not be able to hear what was going on, but he could feel what was going on in the room well enough.

After a long, awkward silence, Michael hurried over, trying to pry Castiel from Gabriel's shirt. Lucifer shrugged sheepishly, turning off the blender and pouring the puree into a cup.

"Sorry Gabe…" He said softly. Michael was having a little trouble convincing Castiel to uncurl his fingers from Gabriel's shirt. Gabriel, still steaming mad, shook his head, taking a step away from Michael.

"Not good enough. Apologize to each other. What were you fighting about anyway? A blender?" He gave his brothers a sharp look, and Michael gave up for now. He turned and gave Lucifer a half-hearted smile.

"I'm sorry, Lucifer… I shouldn't have been so snappy." For an apology it sounded more tired than apologetic, but Lucifer wasn't about to call him out on it. Neither of them had ever seen Gabriel get as angry as he was right then. He returned Michael's half smile.

"I'm sorry too Mike…" he said quietly. The oldest two angels turned to their little brother. Gabriel relented eventually, tickling Castiel under his armpits until he let go.

The fledgling wasn't crying any longer, but his eyes were still shining with tears and his lip was trembling. Michael enfolded the baby in his arms, rocking him gently as Lucifer came over with the cup and a small spoon.

Michael sat on the edge of the table, holding Castiel gently as Lucifer slowly began to spoon feed the baby. Castiel accepted the goop quietly, eating without complaint as the tears dried and the red faded from his face.

Over by the wall Gabriel's wings slowly deflated as he calmed, his eyes fixed on the scene his brothers made, pressed close together. They only had eyes for the baby, although occasionally their eyes would meet and they would share a tender smile.

Gradually a warm smile spread across Gabriel's face as well and he slipped slowly out the back door. When they weren't fighting, Lucifer and Michael had a special kind of domestic bliss that was rare even in Heaven.

XXXX

HK: There's also gonna be another chapter of this one for sure! Baby!Cas is just too darn cute to stop. :3 Leave a review if you agree, and go and check out Sanity's-Overrated's fic too! She won our race, but mine is longer. XP


	2. Trouble In Paradise

HK: Why does the second chapter always take so much longer than the first? Well, a little bit more of an explanation happened here of what's going on with baby Cas, Michael and Lucifer's relationship and their relationship with the other angels. Whew… a lot of work here. Thankfully I don't think any of the other chapters will be as loaded!

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, or anything affiliated with it. I make no money from this, but if I could I would consider it. :P

WARNINGS! Mikifer, some kissing, Gabriel. Silly, silly Gabriel.

XXXX

It didn't take long for a kind of comfortable routine to develop around the small house. Every morning Michael woke up first, kicking Lucifer in the shins as he rolled out of the king sized bed they shared.

While Lucifer grumbled and buried his face in the sheets, Michael went down to the kitchen to make something for Castiel and Lucifer. About half an hour later Lucifer would appear, sleepy eyed and with Castiel snuggling against his chest.

He would pass the fledgling to Michael, taking the opportunity to mess up his older brother's carefully styled hair. They would then gravitate to the table, where Michael would feed Castiel and Lucifer would tuck into his own food.

Only once Castiel was fed and Lucifer was flicking pieces of waffle, pancake or French toast across the table would Michael settle himself down to eat his own food. It was at this point that Lucifer would pick up baby Cas, taking him back upstairs to get dressed.

Usually he would make a crack at Michael for being a girl, but Michael wouldn't hear him because it was at this point that Gabriel would bust in, a wide smile on his face as he stole half of Michael's breakfast and wished his big brother a good morning.

From there the days diversified, but on one particular day something completely different happened. Michael and Lucifer had been looking after Castiel for nearly three weeks, and the fledgling was only a week away from his first shift.

Michael was getting worried, cleaning the entire house and moving everything that might possibly harm a child that would soon be learning to toddle.

Exactly one month after his creation, Castiel would grow overnight to the size and development level of a human three year old. It would happen again after the second month, bringing the angel to the level of a six year old.

None of the arch angels were sure why the development was so bumpy, but at least it was fast. Little Castiel was eating almost constantly now, and Michael was still in the kitchen, rocking the baby and feeding him yet another bottle (Lucifer had broken the blender by trying to make smoothies) when the door slammed open and Gabriel dashed in.

The younger arch angel was out of breath, but clearly worried about something. He looked around quickly, spotted Michael, and ran over.

"Raph is right behind me! Where's Luce!" Gabe panted, leaning against his brother for support. Michael shifted Castiel to rest in the crook of his elbow and pointed up the stairs.

"He's getting dressed. You missed breakfast, Gabe," he pointed out.

Gabriel didn't seem to be listening as he turned, running to the door. He stopped in the doorway, turned, ran back, pinched Castiel's cheeks, and fled upstairs.

Michael rolled his eyes, grinning to himself as he began to rock Castiel. The baby hiccupped, clasping the bottle tighter with tiny fists and sucking hard. The oldest angel smiled down at him, rocking the baby. He could hear Gabriel stampeding around upstairs like a whole herd of hippos.

It wasn't often that Gabriel got excited enough to miss free food. Abruptly what Gabriel had said broke through and Michael nearly dropped the bottle. Raphael was chasing Gabriel, into his house! Gabriel had almost definitely pranked his brother, done something to provoke him.

Which meant that Raphael was angry, almost definitely coming over to do something horrible to his little brother. Not that Michael minded, the occasional time spent as a duck seemed to be good for Gabriel, he was a lot calmer when they turned him back.

Michael was more worried about Castiel getting caught in the line of fire. If anything happened to his little fledgling… Castiel started whimpering again as Michael took the bottle from his lips, but Michael hushed him gently, rocking the baby back and forth and singing softly until Cas calmed down.

The little angel really seemed to love the sound of Michael's voice. Michael walked carefully from the kitchen into the hall. If he could just get to Gabriel and kick him out to face Raph's wrath alone… He was just about level with the stairs when the front door burst open and Raphael burst in, dishevelled and covered in water.

He shook the water off his wings apparently without thinking it, his face red with anger.

"GABRIEL!" Raphael was furious, but he froze when he caught sight of the now dripping Michael with a fledgling in his arms. Gabriel himself had apparently found Lucifer, as now the brothers were at the top of the stairs, Lucifer still shirtless. The colour drained from Raphael's face and his mouth opened and closed soundlessly a few times. Finally he found his voice.

"Lucifer! You got Michael PREGNANT?"

XX

"Why does everyone always assume I had the baby," Michael grumbled. The four arch angels had relocated to the sitting room, Gabriel in fits of laughter.

Michael was currently sulking between Gabriel and Lucifer on the sofa, gingerly patting Castiel dry with a soft towel. The baby was sniffling, and Gabriel was alternating between snickering at Michael and playing with the baby.

Raphael had practically fallen onto the arm chair across from them, still largely incapable of speech. Lucifer grinned, leaning over and pinching Castiel's cheek.

"You make a beautiful mother, Mike. I've said it before and I'll say it again." He ducked as Michael snapped the towel at his face. Raphael shook his head. He was really struggling to come to terms with this.

"So… Michael wasn't pregnant?" he asked again in the manner of someone trying to check the facts. The oldest brother groaned, leaning back against the sofa.

"What about me screams "mother"? Really?"

"The way you haven't let the little tyke out of your arms for more than five minutes?" Gabriel offered with a giggle. Michael snapped the towel at him too, and Gabe wasn't quite fast enough. The towel caught him full in the face and he fell back over the arm of the sofa with a surprised cry.

"Shut up," Michael groused, settling back and returning to drying Castiel. The baby sneezed, and the entire room froze. Lucifer's head whipped around.

"Is he okay?" the Morningstar demanded, his voice frantic. Michael was ignoring the entire rest of the room, his attention focused solely on the gorgeous blue eyes that were squeezing shut in displeasure. Gabriel tugged himself back up over the edge of the sofa, glaring at Raphael.

"Why did you have to splash water all over him?"

"Why did you drop an ocean on my head?" Raph demanded right back, suddenly remembering why he had been chasing Gabriel in the first place. He rose from his seat in the arm chair, only to be shouted back down by Lucifer and Michael.

"Sit down, Raph!"

"Don't disturb the baby!" Castiel sneezed again and Michael looked into Lucifer's eyes frantically. "He can't be getting sick!" The panic in Michael's eyes made Lucifer's heart ache, although he couldn't imagine why.

What with the close quarters, they had been forced to spend a lot more time together. Admittedly they weren't fighting as much anymore, not with the threat of tears from baby Cas hanging over them. Instead of teasing Michael about being a girl, Lucifer decided to comfort his brother.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," he said soothingly, resting a hand on Michael's shoulder. "Everyone gets sick sometimes."

"But he's only a week away from his first growth spurt," Michael fretted, already returning all of his attention to the baby. Castiel was whimpering again. Michael tried bouncing him and humming softly, but it didn't seem to be helping.

A single tear dripped from Castiel's eye, and Lucifer spun and punched Raphael hard enough to knock the chair over. Since they were both arch angels he barely felt it, but it was still enough to hurt his feelings.

"What did I do?" He demanded, rubbing his cheek. Lucifer actually looked a little embarrassed as he helped Raph up.

"Sorry… you made him cry," the Morningstar offered by way of explanation. Raphael rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything as he righted the chair for fear of being hit again.

Michael and Gabriel had watched the brief event with wide eyes, but then Castiel sneezed again and Michael's attention was one hundred percent back on the baby. Raphael sighed, shaking his head.

"Should I leave?" He asked. Lucifer pulled a face, still feeling bad about hitting his brother. Michael, on the other hand, had no time for such things.

"Yes," he declared, glancing up to frown at Gabriel as well, "You both should." Gabriel began to protest at once, spreading his arms and declaring his innocence loudly.

Michael wasn't having any of it, banishing his brothers from the house. It got to the point where he was threatening to use a banishing sigil, despite knowing how stupid it was. This was Heaven, the entire place would be emptied as angels were sent rocketing around the universe like ping pong balls.

Gabriel and Raphael cleared out pretty quickly after that point while Lucifer stared at Michael in shock.

"Are you okay, Mike?" He asked a little nervously. Michael turned to look up at him, panic in his eyes.

"What if he dies, Lucifer? If he gets sick, and is sick when it's time for him to shift, what if he dies?" Michael looked and sounded like he was about to cry. Lucifer bit his lip for a second, then sat on the couch and wrapped his arms around Michael.

They didn't do things like that often, but Michael looked like he needed it. This was only proved when Michael leaned into him instead of pushing him away.

"He'll be alright Mike. We've got a week, he'll probably be over it in a few days. He might just be allergic to Raph," he offered, although it was a vain hope. As if to prove it, Castiel started sneezing again, and tears began to fall from those sweet blue eyes.

The baby squirmed, looking thoroughly miserable. Michael was actually shaking, so Lucifer pried baby Castiel from his arms and began rocking him gently. It did nothing to stem the flow of tears and Michael shivered. He leaned in against Lucifer, resting his chin on his brother's shoulder and looking up at him.

"Are you sure?" He sounded so hopeful that Lucifer couldn't do anything but smile at him.

"Of course I am. He's strong. Why don't you go get him some orange juice? Dad used to give us that when we were sick." Michael was already in the kitchen before the words left Lucifer's lips.

XX

As the week passed and Castiel showed no sign of recovery, Michael got more and more worried. He was hardly sleeping, although admittedly that wasn't a big deal as angels had no need of sleep.

He spent the entire night in Castiel's room, standing over the crib awkwardly with his eyes fixed on the baby as he squirmed and slept. After three nights of this, Lucifer came in at four o'clock in the morning and rested a hand on Michael's shoulder.

"Bring him into bed with us. I have an idea." Michael turned frantically at the suggestion. Castiel wasn't sleeping, stuck in the grips of his first cold. The baby was grizzling in his cot and when Lucifer lifted him out he realised the kid had a temper.

Holding Castiel carefully with one hand as he tried to kick him, he took Michael's limp arm in his other one. "Come on, Mike," he prompted gently, "come to bed. We can bathe Cas in our grace." Michael shook his head slowly, pulling his arm from Lucifer's grip.

"We can't use grace on a fledgling, Lucifer! That might only make him sicker!" Michael was frantic, and not thinking particularly clearly. Lucifer sighed, taking his brother's hand this time.

"We won't use it directly on him Michael. We can just fill the room with our grace, and hope that his can take some power from us to heal him. It might work," he pointed out in as reasonable a voice as he could manage.

Michael stared at him for a long moment, considering. Finally he nodded, letting Lucifer tug him from the room.

"It can't hurt," the oldest arch angel admitted in a tired voice. The constant worrying and stress had taken a lot out of him.

Warding the entire house so that no angel could get within a hundred yards without being announced, and warding the doors so that attempted entry by anyone other than Lucifer set the intruder on fire and dumped them on Earth hadn't helped.

Eventually he gave up and let Lucifer lead him into bed. He handed the baby to Michael and tugged the older angel's shoes off. Michael lay back against the pillow, eyes falling shut as he cradled Castiel against his chest.

The baby was still sniffling, but at least he had stopped crying now that Michael was holding him again. Lucifer dropped Michael's shoes to the floor and decided against stripping his brother further. That just got into… weird territory that he didn't have time to think about while Castiel was sick.

He paused for a moment just to look at his brothers as they lay on the bed. It was an impossibly peaceful scene, and a small smile crossed his face. He had never noticed just how beautiful his big brother really was… and in that second it hit him.

He was in love with Michael.

No wonder they fought all the time, he had been denying his feelings and trying to push Michael away. He would have to be eternally grateful to Mike that he had never let him get too far.

Kicking his own shoes off carelessly, he crawled up the bed to lie next to Michael, turning onto his side so he could run his fingers through Castiel's hair.

"Ready?" he asked softly, resting his head on Michael's shoulder. The older arch angel opened his eyes, giving Lucifer a small puzzled frown. Lucifer wasn't usually this cuddly. He usually resisted any cuddling attempts Michael made. He decided to ignore it for now, simply nodding.

"Yes." Despite being tired, he unfurled his wings as far as he could, letting his grace flood the room. Lucifer let out a little mew of contentment as his brother's grace washed over him before freeing his own wings.

Their feathers brushed against each other as their graces mingled, and to their delight the furrows in Castiel's brow softened and for the first time in days a small smile crossed his face. The older angels watched in awe as a tiny pair of fluffy wings slowly opened themselves.

Lucifer reached out slowly to gently stroke a finger against the fledgling's wings. They fluttered under his touch, and Michael began to rub the baby angel's back where his wings met his skin. "So beautiful," he whispered in an awed voice. Lucifer nodded, unable to take his eyes off the brand new limbs.

"So soft… were mine that soft?" He tilted his head up to look at Michael, tearing his eyes away from Castiel's downy wings. Michael looked surprised by the question. A soft smile crossed his face and he lay back down, looking at the ceiling as the room filled with grace.

"Yes… I used to sneak in while you slept and stroke them," he admitted. Slowly, a little worried that Lucifer would tear away at once, Michael slid his arm under the younger angel's body and wrapped it around his shoulders.

When Lucifer didn't object, Michael slid his fingers into the hair at the back of his neck and began to massage him. Lucifer sighed happily, snuggling closer and softly stroking over Castiel's newly formed wings.

"I never knew that…" he muttered sleepily. Michael's smile widened a little and he pressed a soft kiss to the top of his head.

"There's a reason for that…" He continued to stroke Lucifer's hair. The Morningstar chuckled, sliding up the bed to kiss Michael softly on the cheek. Michael turned his head towards him in surprise, and Lucifer smiled at him.

"I love you Michael," he whispered, staring into his brother's eyes. A wide smile spread across Michael's face and he leaned in to seal their lips together.

They were careful to move nothing but their lips so as not to disturb Castiel, who had finally fallen asleep, but the room began to hum and vibrate as their graces flared, wrapping more tightly around each other.

A third, small grace brushed against theirs and they pulled apart, staring at little Castiel.

A small smile was on the baby's sleeping face as his still developing grace wound its way around his brothers'. The older angels smiled down at him, their hands meeting and fingers entwining across his back.

Lucifer leant down again and rested his head on Michael's shoulder, gently teasing at Castiel's grace with his own. One small hand reached out and grabbed the front of Lucifer's shirt, tugging him closer. Lucifer tried not to smile even wider as he pressed himself more fully against Michael.

XX

Barely an hour after they fell asleep, Castiel woke up again coughing and crying. Before Lucifer could fully wake up Michael rolled out of bed, bouncing the baby up and down.

"Shh, come on baby, don't wake Luci up…" He glanced over at the bed where Lucifer groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Too late." He cracked an eye open, giving Michael a half smile. "Would you like me to take him?" His voice was sleepy but amused. Michael shook his head, smiling down at him.

"I've got him." He wrapped his arms more closely around Castiel. Lucifer sighed and scooted over to the edge of the bed. He had terribly messy bed head and looked ridiculous but Michael didn't smile.

"Mike, you haven't as much as blinked in hours. Get some sleep, I can take him down to the kitchen and make him something." He got to his feet, leaning in closer and pressing a soft kiss to Michael's cheek as he pried Castiel from his hands. "I love you," he said again, stroking his fingers through the baby's hair.

Michael avoided his eyes, climbing back into bed.

"Thank you…" he muttered as he pulled the covers up around him. Lucifer paused for a moment to see if there was anything else forthcoming. Apparently not. Trying hard not to be offended he turned, closing the door softly behind him as he took Castiel downstairs.

XX

Almost twelve hours later Michael finally pulled himself out of bed, stumbling down the stairs in his rumpled jeans and shirt. Lucifer was sitting on the table with Castiel, finger feeding him paste made of mashed potatoes and gravy. The younger angel turned to face Michael, his expression stony.

"Morning." He looked Michael dead in the eye, not letting him look away. Michael frowned back.

"What's eating you?" He walked down the rest of the stairs and turned into the kitchen. He couldn't understand what Lucifer was thinking.

They had been so close the night before… admittedly he had been tired and a little fuzzy, but he thought his kiss had been answer enough. What had changed between last night and this morning? This morning! He could vaguely remember Cas waking them up.

Lucifer had said he'd take care of him, so Michael had gone back to bed… Sleep was definitely amazing, he was going to suggest that Dad make it mandatory for his next creation. And then… oh. Lucifer had said "I love you".

It may be the second time he had said it, but it only just hit Michael that it had happened at all. Ignoring the hostile glare Lucifer was now giving him (not that Michael could blame him, he hadn't exactly been gallant) the older angel stumbled over the table and fell into a chair.

Lucifer reluctantly let his frown fade to a curious look. Michael wasn't usually so distracted. After a few awkward minutes of silence, Michael looked up at Lucifer, wonder in his eyes. "You said you loved me…" Lucifer rolled his eyes, a smile fighting its way onto his face in spite of himself.

"A bit delayed, but yes." He grudgingly admitted. Michael didn't bother to answer, rising from his seat and kissing Lucifer passionately. Lucifer may have muttered something about mixed signals into the kiss, but he wasn't complaining all that much. Michael pulled back just enough to talk, his eyes still shut.

"I love you, Lucifer," he said breathlessly. Lucifer's eye were wide with surprise at the revelation, but a sniffle from baby Cas pulled them apart. Lucifer quickly began feeding the baby again, avoiding Michael's gaze. He was blushing, and Michael couldn't stop a wide smile from steeling across his face.

He had made Lucifer look all flustered and adorable. This was definitely something he would take full advantage of later. Possibly while Gabriel was around if Luce annoyed him. Then again, both Gabe and Raph had apparently seen this coming for a lot longer than Michael or Lucifer had.

He put it out of his mind for now. For the first time since Castiel had sneezed, Michael felt like things would be alright. Maybe he had gotten a little crazy… Call it… damn. Mothering instinct. Michael was going to kill Gabriel.

XX

Castiel recovered from his cold the morning before he was due to shift. His temperature finally came down, he stopped sniffling, and he ate a thermometer while Michael and Lucifer were distracted "celebrating" the news.

Michael practically went into labour in his panic, but Cas didn't seem at all bothered by it. Lucifer was going to try sticking his fingers down the baby's throat, but Cas seemed to decide that this was a perfect opportunity to show off his teeth by biting Lucifer as hard as he could.

Michael had decided that this was a good sign, although Lucifer's swearing suggested it was anything but, and lowered the wards. Approximately two seconds later Gabriel was bouncing up into Castiel's room, another young angel in tow.

"Hey guys!" He called cheerfully. Lucifer rolled his eyes, still not in the best mood ever.

"What were you doing, waiting outside the door?"

"Pretty much," Gabriel chirped, tugging the young angel over to see the baby, "I take it Cas is better since Mike is off def con three?" He punched his big brother companionably on the arm. Michael rolled his eyes, shoving his little brother away.

"His temperature went down this morning."

"And then he ate the thermometer," Lucifer pointed out in a bitchy tone, watching the young angel curiously, "and bit me. He's having a great day." The baby giggled as if to prove his point. Gabriel snickered, glancing at Michael before picking the baby up.

"Are you causing trouble Castiel?" he cooed, bouncing the baby. Castiel gave Gabe his best sunny smile, eyes bright and happy. "Making your big brother proud already," Gabriel declared happily, cuddling the baby tightly. Michael sighed the sigh of the incredibly put upon.

"Just get the thermometer back, Gabriel," he said slowly, like he was talking to someone with brain damage. Gabriel rolled his eyes but didn't argue. Shifting until he was holding Cas in the crook of his arm and therefore had his right hand free, he began to tickle the baby's stomach.

Either his recent illness had loosened the baby up or he was just very happy to see Gabriel again, after so long with just Michael and Lucifer, because he laughed for the first time. Gabriel beamed with pride at the sound but didn't stop going.

Slowly his fingers dissolved into the baby's stomach, coming out a moment later with the thermometer. Castiel didn't seem all that upset. Lucifer took the thermometer back and pinched Castiel's cheek as he passed to throw it out.

Michael had turned his attention to the new angel in the room, a quiet looking girl with red hair who was barely older than Castiel. Like most of the younger angels she was quiet and restrained, nothing like the original four. She was just standing in a corner and waiting for them to acknowledge her.

A perfect dutiful little soldier.

Michael raised an eyebrow at Gabriel.

"Why did you bring the kid?" he asked, watching the angel from a distance. He didn't know her, wouldn't have been able to pick her out of a crowd, and didn't really care. He had too many siblings to get to know them all personally.

Gabriel shrugged and passed Castiel back to Michael, going over to put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"This is Anna," he said proudly. "I'm teaching her how to have a life." The young angel scowled up at him but didn't say a word. Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him and Gabriel sighed. "Alright, she caught me hanging out at the edge of your wards and asked what I was doing."

Lucifer snickered and tossed the wrapper the thermometer had come in at his brother.

"That sounds more like it. Hanging out with the cannon fodder Gabe?" He shook his head, a wide smirk on his face. The young angel, Anna, flinched but still remained silent. Michael shot his brother a reprimanding frown.

"Don't call them that Luce… these are our siblings." Of course Michael knew that Lucifer was right, that these younger angels were nothing but foot soldiers compared to them. Of all the arch angels, only Gabriel ever bothered to see them as something else, something more.

Most of the young angels were shy around the original four, much like Anna was now, and wouldn't say a word for fear of offending them. A few were over ingratiating little suck ups like Zachariah, which only reinforced Lucifer and Michael's negative opinions of their brothers and sisters.

Gabriel was beginning to wonder if that might not be part of the reason Dad had given them Castiel to raise. If they could form an emotional bond with one of the lesser class of angels, perhaps they would acknowledge that the rest had feelings too. Not likely, given what they were doing now.

Gabe wandered back over to Michael, towing Anna like a reluctant balloon.

"Come meet little Cas, Anna. He's your newest baby brother." At first Michael wasn't willing to let this stranger get too close to Cas. Until Gabriel pinched him. With ill grace he moved the baby so that Anna could see him. The little redhead's eyes widened as she looked at the fledgling curiously.

"Will he be in my garrison?" she asked, looking up at Gabriel. Her voice was surprisingly soft, and she reached out a small hand to touch Castiel's. The baby grabbed her fingers at once and her face lit up in a wide smile.

Anna had only shifted into her full form a few weeks before Castiel was born, and she still retained the wide eyed innocence of youth. Gabriel grinned, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Probably, baby girl," he told her. "Take care of him real good or Michael will kick your butt." He glanced up at Michael, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Anna didn't seem able to tell when he was joking as she sobered, a small frown taking over her face.

Michael didn't much care.

It had only just occurred to him that he wouldn't be taking care of Castiel forever. The fledgling wasn't truly his. In just another two short months, Castiel would be old enough to take care of himself, and they wouldn't have any reason to continue this illusion of paradise.

It was a sobering thought, and a quick glance at Lucifer confirmed that the Morningstar had just come to the same conclusion.

The smile dropped from Gabriel's face as he looked from one brother to the next. He had intended to make Michael and Lucifer more friendly towards the younger angel by bringing Anna to see them. It seemed that he had failed dramatically.

XXXX

HK: With any luck the cuteness will take over for the rest of the fic and we won't need to worry about such stress. :P


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